Exposition of Romans 13-16, Exposition of Romans · Chapter 1 · Verse 13
VERSE 13. — Nor in ſtrife and enuying.
THis is the third paire: as the ſecond followeth the firſt as the cauſe and breeder of it, ſo this paire followeth both the firſt and the ſecond. Theſe all are vitia connata, twiſted together. Drunkenneſſe begetteth Whoredome, and each of them beget ſtrife.
That drunkenneſſe begetteth ſtrife, Salomon witneſſeth: Who hath contentions? Prou. 23.29 30.35.who hath wounds without cauſe? They that tarry long at the wine, &c. They hauehave ſtriken me, ſhalt thou ſay, &c. Experience alſo ſheweth the ſame, in the quarrels, potfights, Ale-houſe frayes, ſtabbings, blood-draughts, &c. rife in eueryevery place.
Alexander the great was much giuen to drunkenneſſe: when he was ſober, he ouercame his enemies; but when hee was in drinke, he embrued his owne hands in the blood of his worthie Captaines and deareſt friends.
That whoredome begetteth ſtrife; the Name of Troy will alwayes teſtifie; and the many combates and duels, which are by godleſſe men fought for their Miſtreſſes and Harlots.
Many Interpreters referre the two firſt couples to the bodie, this to the minde, taking their hint from Iam. 3.14. But they alſo are ſinnes of the minde; for a drunkard and adulterer hauehave a carrion heart, before they hauehave a dunghill life: and there is outward ſtrife, as well as inward.
foreign, Strife; euill ſtrife, in affections, words, ſcoulding, brawling, &c. yea all vniuſt ſuing, quarrelling, &c.
Here is not forbidden ſtriuing to enter in at the ſtraite gate, nor ſtriuing againſt corruptions; but corrupt ſtrife, proceeding from an enuious heart; as the Apoſtle here coupleth the daughter and mother together.
Enuy: foreign, Zeale, which is in generall, an earneſt affection to a thing: a thing indifferent, and good or bad, according as is the obiect whereunto it is referred.
When it reſpecteth the ſetting forth of Gods glory, it is a vertue, for the which Phinees and Dauid are commended: Luke 6.15.for this was one of the Apoſtles called Zelotes, Simon Zelotes, the zealous, to diſtinguiſh him from Simon Peter; and he was ſo called, becauſe of his earneſtneſſe and zeale for the Goſpel. He is called by Matthew, Simon the Cananite, not of the Land of Canaan, called ſo from the Nephew of Noah by Cham, Matth. 10.4.which is written with Caph, and comes from a roote which ſignifieth, He made vile and abiect, but written with Kuph. and comming from a root in Pihel Kinne, which ſignifieth, Hee was mooued with zeale; Reuel. 3.19.vntounto this was the Church of Laodicea exhorted.
When it reſpects our neighbours hurt, then it is a vice, whereby men grieue at the good of their neighbours.
Iames calleth it bitter zeale: ſweet zeale is good; Iames 3.14.but Paul meaneth here, that which is bitter; a miſchieuous thing it is, viz. to be grieued at my neighbours thrift.
The Latine word is Inuidia, of Inuidere, videre is good, but Inuidere is to ſee with an euill eye, and a naughtie minde.
When a man ſeeth his neighbours corne to proſper better then his, then for a man to grieue and fret at it, this is enuy.
Inuidus alterius rebus macreſcit opimis.
An enuious man growes leane, and pines away to ſee his neighbour fatte: he reioyceth in nothing, but in the hurt of his neighbour.
Enuy is compared to the Baſiliske, which is called Rex Inuidorum, the King of the Enuious, becauſe the ſtrength of his poyſon is conueyed by his eyes.
Strife and Enuy are contrary to honeſt walking: So Paul, Gal. Doctr. 5.20. telleth vsus with one breath, of diuers fruits of the fleſh, among which theſe two are reckoned: Phil. 2.3. Let nothing be done through ſtrife or vaine-glory. Vaine-glory the mother of ſtrife and enuy, for, onelyonly by pride commeth contention, Prou. 13.10. If you ſee two men ſtriue, either one or both are proud.
Striue not needleſly: Vſe 1 The godly ſhall hauehave many oppoſites, who will quarrell with them, but we muſt be quiet, we are called to peace.
It is reported that the Salamander is ſo cold, that it can liue in the fire: Surely we hauehave many of this complexion; who account it no life if they hauehave no ſuits and brabblings on foote; then are they aſleepe in the chimneyes end: but if they be engaged in ſome contention, then are they liuely and merry.
Theſe are to be reproued, together with the Barretter, Make-bate, Carry-tale, and ſuch like.
You ſhall come into few townes, where there are not ſome of theſe vnquiet ſpirits, ſtriuing about the Aſſes ſhadow, or the wooll of a dogge, as a man might ſay: ſuing for the chiefe and higheſt places in the Church, more then to be religious; for taking the wall, and going out of the doore firſt: who, if God be diſhonored, can be quiet enough, but for eueryevery trifle concerning themſelues, will ſeeke the benefit of the law.
Contention in the Common-wealth is euill, but in the Church, moſt odious: Woe to our times; hee is now no body, that hath not a facultie to quarrell at the gouernment of the Church, raiſing vp new and ſtrange opinions, and doating about vnneceſſary queſtions.
It is lawfull toaske queſtions for the ſatisfying of conſcience; Aug. in Euang. quaeſt. ex Matth.but ſo, that we keepe the peace. Boni Catholici quod ad fidei doctrinam pertinet ita quaerunt, vt abſit decertatio periculoſa: Good Catholikes ſo queſtion, as that they auoyd dangerous contending, ſaith Auguſtine. But men of corrupt mindes, and deſtitute of the louelove of the truth, contend, not that errour might bee ouercome of the truth, Aug. lib. de doct. Chriſt. 4. c. 28.but that their ſayings may goe for currant, and other mens be put downe, ſaith the ſame Father. Thus many like little children begin to play with their meat, bringing forth ſuch ill fruit of our ſo long peace and liberty of the Gospell.
Striue not. For this is the way to ruinate the Church. A houſe diuided cannot ſtand; ſo, nor a Church. If Altar be againſt Altar, Pulpit againſt Pulpit, Miniſter againſt Miniſter, Profeſſour againſt Profeſſour, who getteth thereby? Not Wee, but Satan; but the Papists, to whom wee hauehave giuen this ſtaffe to ſmite vsus with, namely, our Contentions.
Striue not: for this were to ſinne grieuouſly, as we may ſee by the companions of ſtrife here, which are of the black…ſt iniquities.
Striue not: for that ſheweth thee to be a carnall man, 1. Cor. 3.3. yea if thou glorieſt that thou beleeueſt, Iames 3.14.thou lyeſt againſt the truth, ſaith Saint Iames.
If thou wilt needs ſtriue, ſtriue to do good, to enter in at the ſtraite gate, to maſter thy corruptions, &c.
Abhorre Enuie. Ʋſe 2
It is a diuelliſh ſinne, and commeth from hell: The Diuell is called the Enuious man, Matth. 13.28. hee enuied our firſt parents, and ſo brought them vnderunder the power of death. Through enuy of the Diuell came death into the world, Wiſd. 2. vlt.ſaith the Author of the booke of Wiſedome: and Saint Iames ſaith, That the wiſdome which ſheweth it ſelfe in ſtrife and enuie, is earthly, ſenſuall and diuelliſh.Iames 3.15.
It is one of the torments of hell; Luke 13.28.There ſhall be weeping and gnaſhing of teeth, when yee ſhall ſee Abraham, Iſaak and Iacob, and all the Prophets in the kingdome of heauen, and your ſelues thruſt out, ſaith Chriſt to the Iewes; now gnaſhing of teeth is a token of enuy.
It is to be hated becauſe it is the fore-runner of blood; witneſſe Abel, and Ioſeph alſo, whom the enuy of his brethren had murthered, had not God ſpecially hindered it; witneſſe our bleſſed Sauiour, whom the Iewes deliuered for enuy, Matth. 27.18.as Pilate knew very well.
Enuy oppoſeth the Prouidence of God, grieuing that God ſhould diſpoſe of his bleſſings, as he doth.
Enuy is contrary to ſuch things which moſt commend a man: as Mercy and Charitie.
It is a moſt vniust ſinne, for it is offended with nothing but that which is good; and the more it is, the greater is the enuy, and the offence; as the brighter the Sunne ſhineth, the more are weake and ſore eyes offended.
And it is a moſt iuſt ſin, Iuſtius Inuidia nihil eſt, &c. Horat. Cypr. ſerm. de Liuore. Prou. 14.30.becauſe it excruciateth and gnaweth vponupon the heart of him that enuieth, as a moth breeding in the garment conſumeth it, and as ruſt eateth and fretteth the yron, ſo Enuie is the rottenneſſe of the bones. Socrates ſaid, is was ſerra animae, a ſaw to torment the ſoule.
An enuious man is more vnhappie then other ſinners; for in other ſinnes there is ſome pleaſure, though carnall, in enuie, nothing but griefe and torment. He is doubly miſerable more then other, for other men are troubled onelyonly for their owne euils, the enuious man is alſo vexed for other mens good things.
It is a generall ſinne, raigning among Souldiers, Courtiers, Schollers, Citizens, Tradeſmen, Country-men, among all.
It diſcouereth the enuious man to be in goodneſſe farre inferiour to him which is enuied.
It deſtroyeth friendſhip, Cleobulus. Baſil. ſer de Inuidia. Greg. Mag. l. 6. Moral. in fine.the comfort of mans life, and therefore a wiſe man was wont thus to aduiſe, to take heed of the trappes of enemies, and of the enuy of friends.
The moſt effectuall remedy which the Fathers hauehave obſerued of this foule euill, are the contempt of the glory of this world, and of all earthly things, and the louelove of the glorie of God, and of heauenly things.
For pride breedeth enuie, if pride therefore were mortified, enuy would vaniſh; and hee that contemneth all earthly things, cannot for them enuy his neighbour, no more then we enuy a begger for his ragges, or a Lazar for his ſores: Enuy is for things at leaſt deemed excellent, and worth the hauing, by which wee thinke our neighbour aduanced, and our ſelues diſgraced.
And he that ſeeketh Gods glory and heauenly things, will reioyce when God is honored in his neighbour, as well as in himſelfe, deſiring that he may be glorified in all.
Let vsus bewaile the want of goodneſſe, which wee ſee to be in others, and ſtriue to attaine it, and to imitate them.